Marlins' vet presence, young talent propel win streak

MIAMI -- Not too long ago, the Marlins were in the Royals’ shoes: Rebuilding and struggling to get in the win column as prospects played through growing pains.

The 2023 Marlins consider themselves to be contenders, in large part because the front office brought in veterans with proven track records to sprinkle throughout a roster of young but talented players. Tuesday night’s 6-1 victory over the Royals at loanDepot park perfectly epitomized that vision.

Jesús Sánchez broke up Zack Greinke’s no-hitter with a leadoff homer in a five-run fifth, as the Marlins batted around with heads-up baserunning by Joey Wendle and Jean Segura, plus another multihit effort from Luis Arraez. Miami (34-28) has won a season-high five in a row and improved to six games over .500 for the first time since August 2016.

• Tracking Arraez's pursuit of .400: Goes 2-for-4, up to .401

“I feel like we have a lot of young guys mixed with a group of guys that have been around and [who’ve] won in the past,” said lefty Jesús Luzardo, who allowed one run over seven innings. “I just think we're riding a wave right now. That's really good, and just trying to keep playing baseball the way we're playing it.”

Following Sánchez’s opposite-field shot, Wendle singled to left and advanced to third on Segura’s single to left field, where Edward Olivares bobbled the ball. Segura took the extra base on the play. Miami then loaded the bases when Bobby Witt Jr. threw to third rather than first trying to catch Wendle straying too far off the bag on a Nick Fortes grounder. After Jonathan Davis struck out, Arraez knocked an RBI single and Bryan De La Cruz delivered the decisive blow with a two-out bases-clearing double.

On Nov. 30, 2021, the Marlins acquired Wendle from the Rays in a trade for outfield prospect Kameron Misner. During his tenure with Tampa Bay (2018-21), Wendle was named an All-Star and a Gold Glove Award finalist. He reached the postseason in all but one year and appeared in the ‘20 World Series. His addition was meant to provide infield depth, but since his arrival, Wendle has been limited by injuries.

Segura, whom Miami signed to a two-year, $17 million free-agent contract in January, made the postseason last fall for the first time in his 11-year Major League career. He stepped up for the Phillies in the National League Championship Series before Philadelphia eventually fell to Houston in the Fall Classic. A career .285 hitter entering 2023, Segura has been flirting with the Mendoza Line all season.

“They play the game right, they play the game hard,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “Joey Wendle plays the game hard. Segura plays the game hard. Both of them weren't happy with the first months of their season. Joey Wendle [was] coming off a tough oblique injury early on, and maybe struggled a little bit to get going, but you see what he can do when he's healthy.

“He provides solid defense, good baserunning, another lefty in the lineup that puts together good at-bats, and just a hard-nosed baseball player. When you're putting pressure on the defense, good things happen. Both of those guys -- Segura and Joey -- put pressure on the defense, and credit to them for running hard out of the box and taking the extra base when it was given to them.”

Though Jorge Soler didn’t factor into Tuesday’s offensive output, he is a two-time World Series winner with the Cubs (2016) and the Braves (‘21). His return to the lineup marked his first time facing Kansas City since the club dealt him to Atlanta, where he then garnered ‘21 World Series MVP honors.

Two-time World Series champion Yuli Gurriel didn’t play on Tuesday, but he has played a pivotal role as All-Star Garrett Cooper has battled vestibular issues. Sánchez credited the eight-year veteran Gurriel for being on “another level” when it comes to teaching him about the game.

“These guys come from winning organizations,” general manager Kim Ng said on Friday. “Adding players like this into the mix, veteran leadership -- even Jean has obviously had a rough time -- but his work off the field, on the field, has been really good. I think that's something that the younger players take note of as well. I think adding those guys into the mix has definitely helped, and I think it's taken a little bit of the pressure off some of the younger guys as well, particularly in those big situations. So it's all been great.”